by JJ Whitehead

Created on: September 11, 2008

eBay, Garage Sales, and the Trash Bin: The Garbage-Hound Wars

Do you have that old, outdated item just sitting around in your house or attic? Do you want to make some money out of it before considering to throw it away? Maybe you even have some item that is worth quite a bit of money. Here, I will tell you some of the pros and cons of all three options: eBay Auctions, Garage Sales, and Trash Bins.

eBAy Auctions

Pros: eBay auctions are an amazing way to recieve a large sum of money for some old jewelry, used video games, and other items that are still in workable or reparable condition. There are many individuals on the internet that utilize eBay to find that 'special treasure' of which most individuals are unaware. In this type of market, you might find multiple collectors that are willing to go into bidding wars to purchase that product or item. If this happens, the price can rise dramatically. Furthermore, you can find people such as this across the nation or even across the globe that wish to purchase these items. You can take their payments through a variety of methods and ship to virtually anywhere.

Cons: However, to provide a venue that collectors and buyers are willing to view, let alone spend their money, these auctions need to be weighted with special emphases. To add these extra touches that create a better selling environment, you must either spend money in the front-end, take a percentage from the total price, or discard the entire idea and hope that someone sees the item's value. Although you can create free auctions, the probabilities that the item will sell drops dramatically in such cases. The marketing philosophy that states 'you have to spend money to make money' is very true with eBay auctions.

Garage Sales

Pros: The nice thing about garage sales is that you can just take a day or more, set up a few tables, boxes, and chairs, and put a few signs up to indicate there's a garage sale and sit around relaxing while potential customers rifle through the items. You can set the price at whatever you want and you don't have to pay for any booth space or auction fees. People as young as toddlers and as old as they come will stop by and, much of the time, feel obliged to buy at least some small trinket that they see. You will be able to sell these items over and over if need be. The beauty of a garage sale is that you can have more than one in order to get rid of items that are cluttering your spaces.

Cons: The pitfalls of the garage sale are: fewer buyers,

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